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News of the next generation of events is spreading fast. Every day we see a new article highlighting the inarguable benefits this new alternative can offer you. With the help of Cisco, let’s recap the advantages a ‘Next Generation Event’ facilitates, just to make sure we are on the same page.
- Reduce costs, lost productivity, and the environmental impact from travel
- Multiple physical locations possible
- Can attend remotely, greatly expanding audience
- Can view on delayed basis
- Individually tailored agendas
- Experience extends before and after event
- Interest driven networking via social tools
- Awareness generation amplified via social media
With so many benefits, what are our potential clients waiting for? Of course, it’s undeniable that the physical event also has its strengths but in times of budget cuts and businesses increasingly frugal attitude towards spending- the new generation is inevitably the way forward. It is a less expensive alternative; nevertheless a considerable cost is still involved. So let’s justify that cost and combat implementation fears firstly with the Strategic Event Management Framework recommended by Cisco. They categorize events using two dimensions in order to achieve a clear objective of the event, key in any strategic approach to business: definition. They state that the variables in defining this objective are the target audience and the complexity of an event.
Audience Type
Your audience will dictate the characteristics of an event, no matter what the shape or form.
- An internal event developed for the employees of a company is likely to achieve high levels of attendance, mainly due to the mandatory or high encouragement element that exists. Here an event can be attended by employees world-wide with the afore mentioned benefits all applicable. There is great potential for creating employee events, training courses, conferences etc.
- Perhaps a slightly more challenging audience would be your partners and suppliers as they are more difficult to read than your own employees.
- Finally the customers and the public are potentially the most difficult and complex target where risk is higher.
Complexity of Event
Factors involved in the complexity of an event can range from low to high, take the following examples:
- Broader business objectives: here your event could range from simply the provision of information to a highly interactive platform. Monster job fairs for example facilitate live written chat between employers and seekers, interactive webinar sessions and the opportunity to apply for jobs to mention but a couple of its features. At the other end of the scale, Gournet Madrid was a fair that provided information on a range of suppliers of gourmet food in the Community of Madrid (further action was possible via external links to company specific sites) and so had more of a basic function.
- Event duration: the longer your event, generally speaking, the higher the degree of complexity, although also bear in mind that a shorter event requires maximum efficiency for the duration with little room for error. We have organised events lasting just a few days and others that are permanent all year around. But we think that the optimal event duration for a mainstream virtual trade show is around 10-15 days.
- Geographical span: here you need to take into consideration time constraints and language barriers. A Virtual Event breaks down barriers relating to travel costs and the like- but take into consideration where your exhibitor’s audience is. The Working Abroad Virtual Expo involves Australian exhibitors dealing with UK visitors-challenging on an interactive basis but the use of a written chat agenda acts as a solution. And don’t forget language hurdles either-more time and attention is involved.
- Increasing heterogeneity of audience: the more needs to be catered for the more complex the event. We at Imaste offer a Compatibility Test to our clients in order to aid the attendee in finding exhibitors that are suited to them best. Offering a broader range of products will inevitably increase complexity.
- Size: as your fair increases in size, so too will you reliance on planning, logistics and technology.
From these characteristics you can get a broad idea of how to strategically manage your Virtual Event or ‘Next Generation Event’ as Cisco puts it. Anything is possible as far as these type of events are concerned. The variance will be the level of planning and monitoring that go into developing the event. It really is exciting when you consider the potential! Imaste is able to work closely with event organizers to provide successful Virtual Events, combining our virtual expertise with our experience we have in the physical events industry.
Cisco recommends the following four step approach to implement Next Generation Events:
- Begin with employee meetings of modest scope where the primary objective is communication. This provides a low-risk environment to fine-tune the process, people, and technology elements required to execute next-generation events. By getting some early wins, it’s easier to build momentum for broader adoption.
- Keeping the event complexity low, expand the audience to partners and customers. This might include events that are smaller in scope, focused primarily around communication of information, and aimed at existing (rather than new) partners and customers.
- Build additional capabilities for larger, more complex events with more challenging business objectives by turning again to employee audiences. Initially, this might focus on gradually expanding the scale of the meeting (e.g., participants, locations, duration, time zones). Eventually, it should encompass more ambitious business objectives beyond communication of information (e.g., to recognition and motivation).
- Extend these new capabilities for higher-complexity events to the more demanding partner and customer audiences.
Monster UK is one of Imaste’s biggest partners. Our relationship started last year when we developed a generic Virtual Job Fair which achieved the maximum number of unique visitors ever experienced by Imaste, a staggering 138,307. 50 Exhibitors participated in the fair who were existing clients of Monster, this mirrors the advice given by Cisco in step 2 of implementing Next Generation Events although the event was not a small one by any means! Cisco highlights that the progression of new technological capabilities, processes and people is key for the future success of these type of events. In the case of Monster UK, the first generic fair has enabled them to use that platform in their upcoming fairs in November and January. The first will be specifically IT related and the second will be another generic one. The successful platform they used last year has now been developed with the inclusion of various advanced new features such as Skype integration and the Seminars area. Here step 3 and 4 are put into practice as new activities are made possible for example online interviews via Skype, even a training or question and answer session is possible. These capabilities go beyond the sole provision of information at an event and increase its level of complexity. The white paper also mentions the benefits of integrated social media which we realized here at Imaste early this year and consequently integrated social networks into each individual exhibitors stand enabling a direct link to their stand at the fair as well as the broader social network options.
Ending their white paper, Cisco identifies their results achieved From Next Generation Events in 2009 which are advantages we pride ourselves in being able to provide by developing a Virtual Fair with us. Let’s end on the happy note of the following unmatchable benefits:
- Substantial cost savings
- Increased productivity
- Improved communication
- Greatly expanded reach
- Enhanced flexibility and choice
- Real-time feedback
- Reduced environmental impacT
If those kind of benefits are something you want to experience in your business then jump onboard with Imaste and go virtual with us!
